Common Name: American Hornbeam

General Information

Carpinus caroliniana is a deciduous tree with a much-branched, spreading crown; it can grow up to 12 metres tall. The trunk is short and is often crooked[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Carpinus caroliniana has a wide distribution and is common across much of its range. It is not considered to be
globally threatened. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2014)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - Minnesota to southern Quebec and Maine; south to eastern Texas, Georgia and Florida

Habitat

Usually found as an understorey tree in rich woods on flood plains and moist slopes, along the borders of streams and swamps in deep rich moist soils; at elevations up to 300 metres[, , , ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	12.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Carpinus caroliniana is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -25°c when fully dormant[].
Carpinus species are generally tolerant of a wide range of soil types; they prefer a deep, open, moist but well-drained loam and can succeed in both clay and calcareous soils186, []. Plants, especially when young, do not demand much light[].
A slow-growing and short-lived tree in the wild[], it is slower growing than Carpinus betulinus in cultivation[]. Seed production is cyclic, a year of heavy yields being followed by 2 - 4 years of low yields[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. An emergency food, used when all else fails[].

Medicinal

American hornbeam was employed medicinally by some native North American Indian tribes, though it is not used in modern herbalism[].
The inner bark is astringent[]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and difficult urination with discharge[].

The plant is astringent and tonic. It is used traditionally to treat flux, navel yellowness, cloudy urine, Italian itch, consumption, diarrhoea, and constipation, and as a wash, and to facilitate childbirth[]

Other Uses

The heartwood is pale yellow to tan; there is a thick band of whitish sapwood. The wood is extremely hard, heavy, close grained, strong, but not very durable in the soil. The wood has no characteristic odour or taste It weighs 45lb per cubic foot. Too small to be exploited commercially, and quite difficult to work, this high quality wood is often used locally for flooring, cogs, tool handles, golf clubs etc[, , , , , , , , , ]. The wood is especially suitable for making levers[].
The wood has a high calorific value and is a good fuel[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in an outdoors seedbed as soon as it is ripe[]. Germination is usually good, though it may take 18 months[]. If collected whilst still 'green' (after the seed is ripe but before it has dried fully on the plant) and sown immediately it should germinate in the following spring[]. Grow the plants on for two years in the seedbed and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the winter. The average seed viability is around 65%[].
Pre-treat stored seed with 4 weeks warm and 12 weeks cold stratification and sow in a cold frame[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame until they are at least 15cm tall before planting them into their permanent positions.